Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

This thing should count as the Divine Essence of the Celestial Flower, Alka thought, looking at the Energy Sphere before him.

Alka already had some experience with Divine Essence, including how to preserve it better. He wouldn’t be as flustered as he was that first time with Juanlu.

A faint Magic Power emanated from his hands, enveloping the surface of the Divine Essence. It was as if he had coated the Divine Essence with a film, enveloping the Energy. Only then did Alka gently reach out and take the spherical Energy Sphere in his hand.

Like Treasures, this kind of thing also can’t be placed in a Pocket Ring. It might even turn your Pocket Ring into a Treasure. That definitely wouldn’t do.

A metal box appeared in his hand. It was the kind they had used to store Treasures back when they were in the Homeland Sea.

He placed the sphere inside and then sealed the box.

Alka slung it over his back.

He looked around at the environment and slowly exited the Dream Realm.

On the ship, the others only saw a ripple appear in the Teleportation Gate before Alka walked back through the thin film.

After coming out, Alka waved his hand. The gateway to the Dream Realm dissipated. A trace of gold and silver Energy, the unused remainder, returned to Alka’s body.

”Did you get it?”

Alka patted the box on his back and nodded.

”Let’s head back.”

Jason nodded and turned the ship around to head back the way they came.

”This mission was so easy, it hardly felt real. It was like a vacation,” Jason said, leaning against the ship. They were mostly just along for the ride, relying mainly on Alka’s ability to enter the Dream Realm. Obtaining the item had presented almost no Difficulty, at least for them.

”Alright, let’s go back,” Alka said with a smile.

Although the journey hadn’t been completely smooth, it was mostly uneventful for them, except for their initial encounter when returning to the village. But that had only dampened their spirits.

On the return journey, Simon cranked the thruster’s power to maximum. The Swift Sparrow shot across the sea as if racing over the water’s surface. The prow cut through the waves, sending water splashing to both sides. Simon even had to reinforce the Swift Sparrow’s prow to prevent any vines or bones from blocking their path and damaging the ship.

「...」

The return journey was swift. It took them less than three days.

They passed the pirate village they had previously burned to the ground. It had now turned to ashes. Only some wooden stakes and collapsed, partly burned bamboo fragments remained, floating on the water. Many skeletons had sunk completely to the seabed. The fish in this area, which had for years fed on the corpses from the pirates’ bloody massacres, were remarkably thorough. They had devoured their former feeders until nothing remained. They left no environmental pollution; instead, everything returned to nature. This was perhaps the only useful contribution these scoundrels could make after death.

They stopped by the Emerald Belt. Simon had to disassemble the thruster again. The Swift Sparrow returned to its normal speed and slowly navigated out of the area.

Before nightfall, they finally reached Gray Vine Fortress.

Even before reaching the fortress, they saw small figures on the vine-covered walls waving at them.

As soon as the ship reached the fortress, those figures eagerly jumped down and hugged their sisters. These were the two teams of Puppet Girls Alka had earlier tasked with escorting the women and children.

Waiting for them on the shore was the same soldier captain who had received them before. Seeing Alka disembark, the soldier captain approached and bowed solemnly.

”Thank you, everyone. Thank you for all you’ve done for the Flower Children. May the Flower Fairy bless you.” The captain’s expression was exceptionally serious and filled with admiration.

Alka simply nodded and smiled. ”It was no trouble.”

The captain nodded. ”You must all be tired,” he said quickly. ”I’ll take you to your accommodations.”

He promptly led Alka and his companions to the same rooms where they had rested before. The rooms were spotlessly clean. Soon after, steaming hot meals were served to them.

Although they had traveled quickly over the past few days, the high speed at night meant their rest hadn’t been optimal. Despite their robust constitutions, the prolonged, rapid return journey had still left them somewhat fatigued.

After expressing their thanks for the meal, everyone fell into a deep sleep.

About four hours later, Alka slowly opened his eyes. Having also slept within his own Dream Realm, his fatigue was gone, and his spirit was fully restored.

He then closed his eyes again. This time, however, he didn’t sink into his own Dream Bubbles. Instead, he sent his dream avatar into the Dream Realm corresponding to his current location.

For safety, Alka hadn’t entered the Dream Realm while in the Giant Wood Habitat, afraid that the mentally unstable Dream Realm God might be lying in wait for him there. After all, though the god was unhinged and somewhat mad, it wasn’t stupid.

As he submerged into the Dream Realm, he found himself surrounded by densely packed Dream Bubbles originating from the soldiers in the fortress.